Easy and gorgeous dairy free chocolate mousse

As a child, I was never that bothered about chocolate. Not that I didn't like it (there can't be many than don't) but my pocket money would go on sweets and candies rather than chocolate treats.  Fortunately, I've never been plagued by chocolate cravings like many I know, but I do appreciate there are moments when only chocolate will do!

Once I became dairy free, my chocolate intake dropped to almost nil, as I only really like milk chocolate, and the only dairy free alternatives I found were carob bars. I tried it once. And only once!
Fortunately, there are more and more dairy free chocolate alternatives around.  There were so many free samples on offer at last year's Vegefest, I can say I was truly chocolate-stuffed by the end of the day. And many of these are now available in supermarkets, which does make life rather easy.
One chocolate dessert I've always had a passion for, though, is chocolate mousse. Decadently rich yet beautifully light and airy, its a pudding that you can savour teaspoon after teaspoonful. Not good for your hips, but a delight on your tongue and worth the extra workout the next day!! Recently, I had a sudden urge for a chocolate mousse so decided to find a dairy free version - and I have to say this works so much better than I could have hoped.
It's really quick and easy and tastes stunningly chocolaty. As tofu is used to replace the double cream element, it's much healthier too as it's low in saturated fat, although go easy on the agave syrup as this sweetener will rack up the refined sugar content some what. Although marketed as a healthy alternative to refined sugar, agave is just as processed and can even have a higher sugar content than the nasty high-fructose corn syrup that's added to so many processed cakes and pastries. Mind you, this IS a chocolate pudding, so has to have a little devilish nastiness to it!!
Dairy free chocolate mousse

350g silken tofu
170g dairy free chocolate
3/4 tablespoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
fresh berries/berry coulis to serve
First, melt the chocolate in a clean bowl over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool slightly. Meanwhile, drain and dry the tofu and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add the melted chocolate, agave syrup, vanilla essence and salt and blend again until smooth and well mixed. Spoon out into four individual ramekin dishes and chill in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours or until set. Serve with whole fresh berries or a berry coulis and enjoy your divine chocolate treat!